Refining apparatus.



W. 0. SNELUNG.`

REFINING APPARATUS.

AFPUCATIOH man ma. 21, 1923. RENEWED ,1Ar..2e,s91s.

ag'w, Emmi Mm 19,1%.

WALTER SNELLING, 0F ITTSBURGH. PENNSYLVAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE LSSGN-MENTS, TG CONSOLIDATED LQUID GAS COMPANY, Olii" GHUAGO, ILLNS, A ORPD-RATION GE? RIZONl-.

REFINING AEABTU l pplcation filed February 2l, 1913, Serial No, 749,873.

lmown as natural gas gasolene though my apparatus obviously be used forthe separation of other substances. This gasolene contains, in additionto the hydrocarbons, such as butane, pentane, hexane and heptane foundin ordinary gasolene, lighter hydrocarbons of the paraffin series, suchas ethane and propane, and it is the objectof my invention to provide anapparatus for separating from the mixture of vapors or gases, theselighter hydrocarbons, to simultaneously obtain fractions of higherboiling point and or" more or less definite coinposif tion, and toobtain the most volatile ingredient or mixture directly in the form of aliquefied gas under pressure. lf a liquid. containing severalvolatilizable ii'igredients be vaporized in a closed vessel, the boilingpoints, or the limits of temperature at which each ingredient Willremain liquid, graduallyrise' as the pressure increases, but the ratesat which the boiling points rise as the pressure increases, are .notuniform, the boiling points of the more volatile ingredients rising lessrapidly than the boiling points of the less volatile ingredients.rl'hus, at

high pressure, by which I mean, even for liquids of low boiling point, aminimum pressure of two or three atmospheres, the boiling points of theingredients are more Widely separated than at low pressures, such asthose approximating one atmosphere.

In my apparatus, a liquid containing several volatile ingredients isheated to a teun perature suicient to completely volatilize all ot' thevolatile ingredients, the vapors or gases being kept under maintainedpressure, the pressure being so high that the boiling points of vtheseveral ingredients Will be Widely separated, and then each ingredient,or each fraction containing several ingredients, is separatelyeondensed, at a tempera Patented Maiz t9, iill Renewed January 28, i918.Serial No. 232,03@

ture slightly below the boiling point, at the high pressure to which themixture is subjected, of thatparticular ingredient or traction.

A preferred torni or my new apparatus is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, though it to be understood that other forms ma;T be usedwithin range of the invention.

Figure is an elevation of the still;

l? is a section of one of the condensing sections;

l Fig. 3 is a section of tion of the still;

Fig. si is plan view vof a distance piece; and

Fig. 5 is plan oiY the bottoni piece of the vaporizer.

The refining apparatus consists of a vaporizer r, and condensing,rsections B, C, D., The vanorizer A is heated by a steam coil l.

the vaporizing porand is discharged through the perforated spray ring 3over coil l. i is a Wooden lillin'g piece. The unvaporized residues ofhigher boiling point hydrocarbons, or unvolatilized ingredients areremoved through pipe 6.

As will be apparent from lli l and 5, thebase piece'() is provided witha passage 60 for gasolene, to which passage pipe 2 is connected; withpassages 63, 64 to which the steam supply and discharge pipes'l and 62are connected; and with a passage 65, connected to pipe G fordischarging residual material.

The condensing sections B, C, l), are alike in construction except thatthe upper section has an inwardly conca-ved head 15 of boiler plate. f

-Each of the condensing sections consists of a body portion of steelpipe, having screwed thereon a top ring 7 and bottom ring 8, each ofcast iron and provided with the necessary bolt holes. 9:2, 92 are leadgaslrets. 9 are separating pieces oi cast iron, forming the top of alower section and the Abottom of an upper section, each having Jpassages54, therethrough to which are kconnected pipes 5l, 5:2 for supplying anddischarging cooling fluid; a eentral passage rlight joints are securedby providing rings l1 to fit into corresponding groves l2, vwithinterposed lead gaskets, the various sections being bolted together bybolts 90 so that a gas tight tower, capable of standing a high internalpressure, such as 900 lbs. to the square inch, is produced..

The vapors are delivered from one section to the next through pipes 13,against wooden iller blocks, 9i, and are thus compelled to pass over thecooling coils. Each of the various pipes referred to may be providedwith such cocks or valves as are necessary.

ln carrying out the process, the liquid, such as natural gas gasolene,is sprayed over the coil l, 'which is heated by some means such assuperheated steam to a temperature suilioient to produce by thevaporization of the gasolene a high pressure, say 900 lbs.,

l throughout the apparatus, as the condensing sections are incommunication With each other and the outlets are provided With suitablestop cocks of any Well known form, "pressure produced is maintainedthroughout the apparatus. rlfhe pressure in the apparatus may becontrolled by varying the supply of fresh gasolene and the tempera`tures of the vaporizer and condensing chamelli bers.

The vapors produced in 'the vaporizer A. pass itp through pipe i3, intocondenser see tion Band. over the coil 'i6 therein, through which hot`Water is passing, and that portion of the mixture condensable at thepressure in 'the chamber and at the'temperature oi! the coil, iscondensed and passes out. through pipe 10, to which is, of course,connected, a suitable delivery pipe.

rlfhe coil in the chamber C carries Warm Water and that in chamber D,cold Water.

Fractions containing the hydrocarbons of higher boiling point will becondensed and collected from sections B and C; that from section C maybe gasolene of about i080 B, andthat from section B, gasolenc ot' about80B. l do Anot Wish to be understood as limiting theprocess toA theseparticular qualities of product, as it is evident that by varyingthetomperatures of the cooling 'i coilslproducts of any desired degreemay be obtained.

As vthe condensation is eiiected under high pressure, the temperaturesof the cooling coils maybe much higher than those used 'at atmosphericpressure, thus avoiding thc inconvenience and expense due to the use ofsuch low temperature retrigerants liquid ammonia, "cold water beingsuflicient-y to eilcct the condensation of the ethane and propane in theupper section of the still, 'from which there directly obtained 'under hpressure a 'liquelied gas, which may be .cted in suitable receptacles,

The various liquids delivered from the rasante various pipes arecollected into suitable receptacles, which it is unnecessary toillustrate as the conditions-required to properly handle the materialswill be obvious to those skilled in the art.

lf the gas or vapor to be condensed is already under high pressure andat a suiiciently high temperature, the vaporizer A may be omitted, andthe gas or vapor introduced directly int-o the lower, condensingsection. l do not herein claim the process of separation which iscovered by U. S. Patent No. 1,056,845, granted to me March 25, 1918.

Tl claim:

l. A condenser section, comprising a tube having iianges at its top andbottom, a separating piece extending across the bottoni oli said tube, acooling coil extending into said tube and having its ends secured tosaid separating piece, said separating piece hav ing' passages thereinleading from the ends of the coil to the outside, a central passagetherethrough opening into the tube, and .a passage for removingcondensate.

2. A condenser section, comprising a tube having flanges at its top andbottom., aseparating piece extending across the bottom oi' said tube, acooling coil extending into said tube and having its ends secured tosaid separating piece, said separating piece havw ing passages thereinleading from the ends of the coil to the outside, a central passagetherethrough opening into the tube, a passage for removing condensate,an upwardly extending vapor pipe connected to said conn tral passage,and a filling block Within the coil and above said vapor pipe.

3. A condenser section, comprising; a tube having `flanges at its topand bottom, a sepa rating' piece extending across the bottom oli saidtube, a cooling coil extending into said tube and having its endssecured to said separating piece, said separating piece having passagestherein leading from the ends of the coil to the outside, acentralpassage m therethrough opening into the tube, and a passage 'forremoving condensate, said distance piece and flanges having coperat ingscaling rings and grooves.

Il. A refining apparatus, consisting oit a tower-lile structure havingat its base a uiporiaer comprising a tube having top and bottom danses,a heating coil4 and supplytube mounted in a base piece having pas sagestherein connected to the heating coil and supply-tube and a passage forresidmim, and means for securing the basepiece and bottom flangetogether; and. a series of condenser sections each comprising a tubehaving ianges provided with means for connecting it to adjacentsections, a sepa rating piece extending across the bottom of said tube,and a cooling?l coil extending intro @www said tube and hm'ing its endssecured to said n tesimony whereof l alx my signature eepzuatmg piece,Saud separmtmg plece havm presence of two Wltnesses.

ing passages therein leading from the ends WALTER 0* SNLLNGl of the coilto the Q'utside, a central passage Ntnessest therethrough opeugfng intothe tube, and a. C. R. REER.

passage for' removmg condensaten GEORGE SCHEME.

